U.S. patent number 10,041,772 [Application Number 14/985,534] was granted by the patent office on 2018-08-07 for fish harvesting head.
The grantee listed for this patent is Kevin M. Sullivan. Invention is credited to Kevin M. Sullivan.
United States Patent |
10,041,772 |
Sullivan |
August 7, 2018 |
Fish harvesting head
Abstract
A fish harvesting head is disclosed having one or more barb arms
protruding from barb receiving slots in a harvesting body, wherein
one or more barb arms includes one or more gripper arms extending
from at least one barb arm nonorthogonal and nonparallel with the
barb arm to prevent the fish harvesting head from inadvertently
being pulled free from a target. The gripper arm may extend at a
compound angle from a side surface of the barb arm. The gripper arm
may also be nonlinear such that the gripper arm mates with an outer
surface of the fish harvesting head when the barb arm is in a
closed position against the harvesting body. In such a position,
the gripper arm assists the barb arm in staying in a closed
position while the fish harvesting head is driven into a target,
such as, but not limited to a fish.
Inventors: |
Sullivan; Kevin M. (Lakemont,
GA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sullivan; Kevin M. |
Lakemont |
GA |
US |
|
|
Family
ID: |
63013923 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/985,534 |
Filed: |
December 31, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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62099246 |
Jan 2, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B
6/08 (20130101); A01K 81/04 (20130101); A01K
81/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F42B
6/08 (20060101); A01K 81/00 (20060101); A01K
81/04 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;43/5,6
;294/61,126,127,128,129,130,182 ;473/578,582,583,584,585,586 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Ark; Darren W
Assistant Examiner: Frazier; Brady W
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Akerman LLP Dixon; Michael K.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/099,246, filed on Jan. 2, 2015.
Claims
I claim:
1. A fish harvesting head, comprising: a harvesting body having a
forward portion and a rear portion, wherein the forward portion
includes a forward connection device and the rear portion includes
a rear connection device for attachment to a shaft; a plurality of
barb receiving slots positioned in the harvesting body, wherein
each barb receiving slot extends along the harvesting body and
includes an opening in an outer surface of the harvesting body
through which a portion of a barb arm protrudes; at least one barb
arm protruding from at least one barb receiving slot; where at
least one of the barb arms has at least one proximal end attached
to the harvesting body in the at least one barb receiving slot via
at least one connector extending from a first receiver in a first
side of the at least one barb receiving slot, through an orifice in
the barb arm, and into a second receiver in a second side of the at
least one barb receiving slot; and at least one gripper arm
extending from at least one barb arm nonorthogonal and nonparallel
with the at least one barb arm, wherein the at least one gripper
arm at least partially resides out of a plane in which the at least
one barb arm resides; and wherein the at least one gripper arm is
nonlinear such that the at least one gripper arm is curved to mate
with an outer surface of the harvesting body when the at least one
barb arm with the at least one gripper arm is in a closed
positioned against the harvesting body.
2. The fish harvesting head of claim 1, wherein the at least one
gripper arm extends at a nonorthogonal and nonparallel angle
relative to the at least one barb arm in a first direction relative
to a longitudinal axis of the harvesting body and extends at a
nonorthogonal and nonparallel angle relative to the at least one
barb arm in a second direction relative to the longitudinal axis of
the harvesting body that is orthogonal to the first direction.
3. The fish harvesting head of claim 1, wherein the at least one
gripper arm is formed from a base section and a tip section, and
wherein the base section is nonparallel and nonorthogonal with the
tip section.
4. The fish harvesting head of claim 3, wherein the tip section
extends from a distal end of the base section more in a direction
towards a base of the harvesting body than the base section.
5. The fish harvesting head of claim 1, wherein a leading edge of
the at least one gripper arm is tapered to reduce drag and to
create a force directed toward the longitudinal axis of the
harvesting body when the harvesting body is driven into a body,
such as a fish, to keep the at least one gripper arm and the at
least one barb arm to which the at least one gripper arm is
attached resting against the harvesting body while the harvesting
body is driven into a body.
6. The fish harvesting head of claim 1, wherein the at least one
gripper arm has a length less than one half a length of the barb
arm to which the at least one gripper arm is attached.
7. The fish harvesting head of claim 1, wherein each barb arm
includes a gripper arm.
8. The fish harvesting head of claim 1, wherein the at least one
barb arm pivots between a closed position generally parallel to a
longitudinal axis of the harvesting body and an open position
generally orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the harvesting
body.
9. The fish harvesting head of claim 1, wherein the forward portion
of the harvesting body has a distal piercing tip including a
releasable connection device attachable to the connection device on
the forward portion of the harvesting body for removably securing
the piercing tip to the harvesting body and for preventing rotation
of the barb arms forward beyond a generally orthongonal orthogonal
position relative to the longitudinal axis of the harvesting
body.
10. A fish harvesting head, comprising: a harvesting body having a
forward portion and a rear portion, wherein the forward portion
includes a forward connection device and the rear portion includes
a rear connection device for attachment to a shaft; a plurality of
barb receiving slots positioned in the harvesting body, wherein
each barb receiving slot extends along the harvesting body and
includes an opening in an outer surface of the harvesting body
through which a portion of a barb arm protrudes; at least one barb
arm protruding from at least one of the barb receiving slots; where
at least one of the barb arms has at least one proximal end
attached to the harvesting body in the barb receiving slot via at
least one connector extending from a first receiver in a first side
of the barb receiving slot, through an orifice in the barb arm, and
into a second receiver in a second side of the barb receiving slot;
at least one gripper arm extending from at least one barb arm
nonorthogonal and nonparallel with the at least one barb arm;
wherein the at least one gripper arm extends at a nonorthogonal and
nonparallel angle relative to the at least one barb arm in a first
direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the harvesting body
and extends at a nonorthogonal and nonparallel angle relative to
the at least one barb arm in a second direction relative to the
longitudinal axis of the harvesting body that is orthogonal to the
first direction; and wherein the at least one gripper arm is
nonlinear such that the at least one gripper arm is curved to mate
with an outer surface of the harvesting body when the at least one
barb arm with the at least one gripper arm is in a closed
positioned against the harvesting body.
11. The fish harvesting head of claim 10, wherein the at least one
gripper arm is formed from a base section and a tip section, and
wherein the base section is nonparallel and nonorthogonal with the
tip section.
12. The fish harvesting head of claim 11, wherein the tip section
extends from a distal end of the base section more in a direction
towards a base of the harvesting body than the base section.
13. The fish harvesting head of claim 10, wherein a leading edge of
the at least one gripper arm is tapered to reduce drag and to
create a force directed toward the longitudinal axis of the
harvesting body when the harvesting body is driven into a body,
such as a fish, to keep the at least one gripper arm and the at
least one barb arm to which the at least one gripper arm is
attached resting against the harvesting body while the harvesting
body is driven into a body.
14. The fish harvesting head of claim 10, wherein the at least one
gripper arm has a length less than one half a length of the barb
arm to which the at least one gripper arm is attached.
15. The fish harvesting head of claim 10, wherein each barb arm
includes a gripper arm.
16. The fish harvesting head of claim 10, wherein the at least one
barb arm pivots between a closed position generally parallel to a
longitudinal axis of the harvesting body and an open position
generally orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the harvesting
body.
17. The fish harvesting head of claim 10, wherein the forward
portion of the harvesting body has a distal piercing tip including
a releasable connection device attachable to the connection device
on the forward portion of the harvesting body for removably
securing the piercing tip to the harvesting body and for preventing
rotation of the barb arms forward beyond a generally orthogonal
position relative to the longitudinal axis of the harvesting body.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed generally to fish harvesting systems,
and more particularly to tips such as arrowheads usable for
bowfishing and spearfishing tips.
BACKGROUND
Bowfishing equipment has been used throughout the years to
successfully harvest fish of all varieties. Typically, an arrow
used for bowfishing includes an arrowhead with a barb for keeping
the fish attached to the arrow once shot. One such example is
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,637. The '637 patent discloses a
bowfishing arrowhead formed from a tip with a rotatable barb. The
rotatable barb is confined in a hole in the arrowhead and is not
removable. The bowfishing head of the '637 patent also includes a
threaded tip. The tip may be placed into position to prevent
rotation of the barb.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A fish harvesting head is disclosed having one or more barb arms
protruding from barb receiving slots in a harvesting body, wherein
one or more barb arms includes one or more gripper arms extending
from at least one barb arm nonorthogonal and nonparallel with the
barb arm to prevent the fish harvesting head from inadvertently
being pulled free from a target. The gripper arm may extend at a
compound angle from a side surface of the barb arm. The gripper arm
may also be nonlinear such that the gripper arm mates with an outer
surface of the fish harvesting head when the barb arm is in a
closed position against the harvesting body. In such a position,
the gripper arm assists the barb arm in staying in a closed
position while the fish harvesting head is driven into a target,
such as, but not limited to, a fish.
In at least one embodiment, a fish harvesting head may be formed
from a harvesting body having a forward portion and a rear portion,
wherein the forward portion includes a forward connection device
and the rear portion includes a rear connection device for
attachment to a shaft. The fish harvesting head may include a
plurality of barb receiving slots positioned in the forward portion
of the harvesting body, wherein each barb receiving slot extends
along the harvesting body and includes an opening in an outer
surface of the harvesting body through which a portion of a barb
arm protrudes. The fish harvesting head may include one or more
barb arms protruding from each barb receiving slot. One or more of
the barb arms may have at least one proximal end attached to the
harvesting body in the barb receiving slot via at least one
connector extending from a first receiver in a first side of the
barb receiving slot, through an orifice in the barb arm, and into a
second receiver in a second side of the barb receiving slot. The
fish harvesting head may also include one or more gripper arms
extending from the barb arm nonorthogonal and nonparallel with the
at least one barb arm.
The gripper arm may extend at a nonorthogonal and nonparallel angle
relative to the at least one barb arm in a first direction relative
to a longtitudinal axis of the harvesting body and may extend at a
nonorthogonal and nonparallel angle relative to the barb arm in a
second direction relative to the longtitudinal axis of the
harvesting body that is orthogonal to the first direction. The
gripper arm may be nonlinear such that the gripper arm may be
curved to mate with an outer surface of the harvesting body when
the barb arm with the gripper arm is in a closed positioned against
the harvesting body. The gripper arm may be formed from a base
section and a tip section, whereby the base section may be
nonparallel and nonorthogonal with the tip section. The tip section
may extend from a distal end of the base section more in a
direction towards a base of the harvesting body than the base
section. A leading edge of the gripper arm may be tapered to reduce
drag and to create a force directed toward the longitudinal axis of
the harvesting body when the harvesting body is driven into a body,
such as a fish, to keep the at least one gripper arm and the barb
arm to which the gripper arm is attached resting against the
harvesting body while the harvesting body is driven into a
body.
In at least one embodiment, the gripper arm may have a length less
than one half a length of the barb arm to which the gripper arm is
attached. In at least one embodiment, the barb arm may include a
gripper arm. The barb arm may be configured to pivot between a
closed position generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the
harvesting body and an open position generally orthogonal to a
longitudinal axis of the harvesting body. The forward portion of
the harvesting body may have a distal piercing tip including a
releasable connection device attachable to the connection device on
the forward portion of the harvesting body for removably securing
the piercing tip to the harvesting body and for preventing rotation
of the barb arms forward beyond a generally orthongonal position
relative to the longitudinal axis of the harvesting body.
An advantage of this fish harvesting head is that the gripper arm
provides additional barb surface holding area with minimal
additional drag.
These and other embodiments are described in more detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a
part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presently
disclosed invention and, together with the description, disclose
the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a frontal perspective view of the fish harvesting head in
an open position, also known as a fish retaining position.
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the fish harvesting head in
the open position.
FIG. 3 is a frontal, exploded perspective view of the fish
harvesting head in the open position.
FIG. 4 is a top view of the fish harvesting head in a closed fish
penetrating position.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view with the piercing tip removed and the
fish harvesting head in a closed fish penetrating position.
FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the fish harvesting head in
the open position.
FIG. 7 is another rear perspective view of the fish harvesting head
in the open position rotated slightly from the position in FIG.
6.
FIG. 8 is a detail view of the rear portion of the fish harvesting
body.
FIG. 9 is a detail view of the gripper arm extending from the barb
arm.
FIG. 10 is a detail view of the gripper arm extending from the barb
arm, whereby the view is rotated 180 degrees from the view in FIG.
9.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the gripper arm extending from the
barb arm.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the gripper arm extending from the
barb arm, whereby the view is rotated about 90 degrees from the
view in FIG. 11.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the gripper arm extending from the
barb arm.
FIG. 14 is another perspective view of the gripper arm extending
from the barb arm, whereby the view is rotated about 90 degrees
from the view in FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 is a frontal view of the fish harvesting head in a closed
fish penetrating position in which the barb arms rest against the
harvesting head body and the gripper arms are curved partially
around the harvesting head body to reduce drag through the air and
friction through a body, such as, but not limited to, a fish.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in FIGS. 1-15, a fish harvesting head 10 is disclosed
having one or more barb arms 12 protruding from barb receiving
slots 14 in a harvesting body 16, wherein one or more barb arms 12
includes one or more gripper arms 18 extending from at least one
barb arm 12 nonorthogonal and nonparallel with the barb arm 12 to
prevent the fish harvesting head 10 from inadvertently being pulled
free from a target. The gripper arm 18 may extend at a compound
angle 20 from a side surface 22 of the barb arm 12, as shown in
FIGS. 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8. The gripper arm 18 may also be nonlinear
such that the gripper arm 18 mates with an outer surface 38 of the
fish harvesting head 10 when the barb arm 12 is in a closed
position against the harvesting body 16, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
In such a position, the gripper arm 18 assists the barb arm 12 in
staying in a closed position while the fish harvesting head 10 is
driven into a target, such as, but not limited to a fish.
In at least one embodiment, the fish harvesting head 10 may include
a harvesting body 16 having a forward portion 24 and a rear portion
26. The forward portion 24 may include a forward connection device
28, as shown in FIG. 3, and the rear portion 26 may include a rear
connection device 30, as shown in FIG. 2, for attachment to a shaft
32, as shown in FIG. 6. The plurality of barb receiving slots 14
may be positioned in the forward portion 24 of the harvesting body
16. One or more, or each, of the barb receiving slots 14 may extend
parallel to a longitudinal axis 34 of the harvesting body 16 and
may include an opening 36 in an outer surface 38 of the harvesting
body 16 through which a portion of a barb arm 12 protrudes. In
other embodiments, the barb receiving slots 14 may be positioned
nonparallel with the longitudinal axis 34 of the harvesting body
16, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. One or more barb arms 12 may
protrude from each barb receiving slot 14. One or more barb arms 12
may have at least one proximal end 40, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4
and 5, attached to the harvesting body 16 in the barb receiving
slot 14 via one or more pins 42 extending from a first receiver 44
in a first side 46 of the barb receiving slot 14, through an
orifice 48 in the barb arm 12, and into a second receiver 50 in a
second side 52 of the barb receiving slot 14. The barb arm 12 may
pivot between a closed position generally parallel to a
longitudinal axis 34 of the harvesting body 16 and an open position
generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 34 of the harvesting
body 16. The forward portion 24 of the harvesting body 16 may have
a distal piercing tip 66 including a releasable connection device
68, as shown in FIG. 3, attachable to the connection device 28 on
the forward portion 24 of the harvesting body 16 for removably
securing the piercing tip 66 to the harvesting body 16 and for
preventing rotation of the barb arms 12 forward beyond a generally
orthongonal position relative to the longitudinal axis 34 of the
harvesting body 16.
In at least one embodiment, there may be three barb arms 12
extending from the harvesting body 16. The barb arms 12 may be
separated by about 120 degrees about the longitudinal axis 34 of
the harvesting body 16, as shown in FIG. 15. There may also be
three gripper arms 18 extending from the barb arms 12 nonorthogonal
and nonparallel with the barb arm 12. Each barb arm 12 may include
a single gripper arm 18. In other embodiments, the fish harvesting
head 10 may include more than one gripper arm 18 on a barb arm
12.
The fish harvesting head 10 may include one or more gripper arms 18
extending from at least one barb arm 12 nonorthogonal and
nonparallel with the barb arm 12. The gripper arm 18 may extend at
a nonorthogonal and nonparallel angle relative to the barb arm 12
in a first direction 54, as shown in FIG. 3, relative to a
longitudinal axis 34 of the harvesting body 16 and may extend at a
nonorthogonal and nonparallel angle relative to the barb arm 12 in
a second direction 56 relative to the longitudinal axis 34 of the
harvesting body 16 that is orthogonal to the first direction 54. As
such, the gripper arm 18 may extend from the barb arm 12 at a
compound angle. The gripper arm 18 may be nonlinear such that the
gripper arm 18 may be curved to mate with an outer surface 38 of
the harvesting body 16 when the barb arm 12 with the gripper arm 18
is in a closed position against the harvesting body 16, as shown in
FIGS. 4, 8 and 9-15. The gripper arm 18 may be formed from a base
section 58 and a tip section 60, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 6.
The base section 58 may be nonparallel and nonorthogonal with the
tip section 60. The tip section 60 may extend from a distal end 62
of the base section 58 more in a direction towards a proximal end
65 of the harvesting body 16, as shown in FIG. 8, than the base
section 58. The tip section 60 may be nearly aligned with the barb
arm 12 which supports the tip section 60. In at least one
embodiment, the tip section 60 may be aligned with the barb arm 12
which supports the tip section, as shown in FIG. 1.
A leading edge 64 of the gripper arm 18, as shown in FIG. 9, may be
tapered to reduce drag and to create a force directed toward the
longitudinal axis 34 of the harvesting body 16 when the harvesting
body 34 is driven into a body, such as, but not limited to, a fish,
to keep the gripper arm 18 and the barb arm 12 to which the gripper
arm 18 is attached resting against the harvesting body 16 while the
harvesting body 16 is driven into a body. The gripper arm 18 may
have a length less than one half of a length of the barb arm 12 to
which the gripper arm 18 is attached. In at least one embodiment,
the gripper arm 18 may have a length less than one quarter of a
length of the barb arm 12 to which the gripper arm 18 is attached.
In at least one embodiment, each barb arm 12 may include a gripper
arm 18.
The barb arm 12 for a shaft point configured to harvest animals may
include a barb arm body 13 extending from a proximal end 40 to a
distal end 41, whereby the proximal end 40 is configured to be
attached to a harvesting body 16 via at least one connector 42. The
gripper arm 18 may extend from the barb arm body 13 at an angle
that is nonorthogonal and nonparallel with the barb arm 12. The
gripper arm 18 may extend from the barb arm body 13 at a compound
angle 20. A distal end 70 of the gripper arm 70 may point at least
somewhat away from the proximal end 40 of the barb arm body 13. In
embodiments in which the gripper arm 18 is formed from a base
section 58 and a tip section 60, the base section 58 may extend at
a compound angle 20 from the barb arm body 13. The tip section 60
may extend nonparallel and nonorthogonal relative to the base
section 58. In at least one embodiment, the tip section 60 may
extend generally parallel to the barb arm body 13.
The gripper arm 18 may be attached to the barb arm body 13 at a
point within an outer two thirds of a length of the barb arm body
13. In another embodiment, the gripper arm 18 may be attached to
the barb arm body 13 at a point within an outer half of a length of
the barb arm body 13. In yet another embodiment, the gripper arm 18
may be attached to the barb arm body 13 at a point within an outer
third of a length of the barb arm body 13. The gripper arm 18 may
also be configured such that the distal end 70 of the gripper arm
18 may be positioned a distance from the barb arm body 13 that is
less than a length of the gripper arm 18. In at least one
embodiment, the gripper arm 18 may also be configured such that the
distal end 70 of the gripper arm 18 may be positioned a distance
from the barb arm body 13 that is less than a length of the gripper
arm 18.
As shown in FIG. 8, the base section 58 and the tip section 60 of
the gripper arm 18 may each be curved. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 15,
both the base section 58 and the tip section 60 of the gripper arm
18 may each be curved with the same radius of curvature. In other
embodiments, the base section 58 and the tip section 60 of the
gripper arm 18 may each be curved with the different radii of
curvature. A width of a proximal end of the base section 58 may be
narrower than a width of the distal end 62 of the base section. A
width of a proximal end of the tip section 60 may be narrower than
a width of the distal end 70 of the tip section 60 of the gripper
arm 18. In at least one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the distal
tip 70 of the gripper arm 18 may terminate before reaching the
distal tip 41 of the barb arm 12. In at least one embodiment, the
tip section 60 may be misaligned relative to the base section 58
between about two degrees and about 30 degrees. In at least one
embodiment, the tip section 60 may be misaligned relative to the
base section 58 between about five degrees and about 15 degrees.
The base section 58 may be misaligned relative to the fish
harvesting body 16 between about 30 degrees and about 80 degrees.
In at least one embodiment, the base section 58 may be misaligned
relative to the fish harvesting body 16 between about 45 degrees
and about 70 degrees.
The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining,
and describing embodiments of this invention. Modifications and
adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled
in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or
spirit of this invention.
* * * * *